


War: It's Hell

by orphan_account



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - War, Canonical Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Invasion, Military, Nuclear Warfare, Nuclear Weapons, Nudity, Partial Nudity, Reviews, Sexual Content, War, Weapons, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 07:08:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16908429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A story about the ambitions of one man.It's a fucking mess.





	War: It's Hell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FNW2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FNW2/gifts).



> So, this review goes through several different tones. Be prepared, I go from amused to somewhat impressed to angry and tired to reverent to furious. I'd ask that you be patient with me, but I wasn't patient with the fic, so...
> 
> And if you're the author, I by no means dislike you as a person and I don't even really hate the fic. It's a 6/10, that's my opinion. If you do choose to read my review, stay through it 'till the end.

**Well, I have no real introduction to this, let's just get started.**

Sienna didn’t remember what happened before that moment. All she knew is that there was a black sack over her head, and she was being dragged somewhere.

**She just popped into existence at that very moment apparently.**

After a few minutes of being uncomfortably dragged across the ground,

**Oh, she was "uncomfortably dragged across the ground?" I thought that waking up with a sack over your head, being dragged by unknown assailants to an unknown location would be a pleasant experience.**

she was forced to her feet, tied to a pole, and had the sack forcibly pulled from her head, exposing her eyes to the light.

**Not any specific light, just _the_ light.**

She closed them, her eyes having adjusted to the darkness of the sack.

”Vice President Sienna Kahn,” a male voice said, condescendingly.

**Alright, so the story establishes the AU. Evidently, it's similar to our world, in that it retains the position of "Vice-President" as a tool of the ruling class, but I digress.**

Sienna recognized that voice, she opened her eyes

**Apparently adjusting to the light just fine suddenly.**

to see the smug grin of the bull faunus before her. “A...Adam? What’s going on? What are you doing?!”

**It looks like he's kidnapping you, but we could be wrong.**

”Taking my rightful place as the leader of Menagerie,” Adam said, taking out blush.

**"Taking out blush," what? Is he pulling out some makeup?**

”Why?” Sienna asked, hurt and betrayal evident in her voice.

**Things are only evident if they're obvious. Seeing as only one piece of information has been established about this AU, and it's not the relationship between Sienna and Adam, the reader has no reason to assume that she'd feel betrayed.**

”Because the faunus have been living in peace with humanity for too long!” Adam aimed blush directly between Sienna’s eyes. “It’s time the superior species take over.”

**Adam aiming makeup between someone's eyes while being racist is something I didn't predict seeing today.**

Sienna could only watch as Adam slowly toggled with the trigger, savioring her fear. Sienna never heard the shot that killed her, the last thing she felt, was betrayal.

**Good to know that Adam could "savior" her fear in her final moments. I feel so upset over the AU character that hadn't had any emotional connection to myself or Adam established.**

Adam smirked as Sienna’s body fell limp against the pole she was tied to.

**Holy shit, Adam killed her with makeup? That's hardcore. That's the dumbest yet coolest thing I will read all day.**

”Well, I hope you found that enjoyable, Mr. Taurus,” Salem spoke from behind him.

**Yep, Adam sure did "savior" that kill. Also, where the hell did Salem come from? Seeing as the environment has yet to be described, I can only imagine that everyone inhabits the Unholy Void, and all the dialogue is them screaming above the sound of nothingness.**

”I very much did.” Adam turned to face Salem.

”Now that I have held up my end, it’s time you held up yours,” Salem said.

”Of course, President Ghira Belladonna and his family had traveled to Vale to discuss trade with President Ozpin,” Adam said.

**From this point on all of Ghira's dialogue is to be read in a Trump impression and Ozpin's dialogue is to be read in a Trudeau impression.**

”Good, Cinder and her forces will take both of them out when the invasion on Vale begins.” Salem placed her hands behind her back.

**Step 1. Murder the Sienna Khan, Step 2. ???, Step 3. Murder two presidents, Step 4. Profit**

”I’m afraid we can’t kill Ghira or his family,” Adam said.

”And why is that?” Salem cocked an eyebrow.

“Belladonna has access to Menagerie’s supply of nuclear weapons,” Adam explained. “I can get you the submarines no problem, but if either of us wants to do real damage, you’ll need to get Belladonna to crack.”

**Apparently, only one person on this planet has access to nuclear weapons and they just so happen to be related to the president.**

”I see.” Salem scratched her chin. “No matter, the attack on Vale will begin, regardless. I’ll have Cinder abduct Ghira during the chaos, and we’ll have those launch codes out of him in no time.”

**They both make it sound like kidnapping a president is easy. Assuming this AU abides by any rules even remotely similar to the real world then the security at these talks will be so high you get dizzy just thinking about it.**

”I’ll have everything prepared in less than a week,” Adam said with a nod.

**That seems like it's cutting it a little close, but okay.**

Salem smirked. “Excellent.”

**Okay, that was chapter one. A little short, but set up the plot pretty well. On to chapter two.**

“Team Rose, take a seat,” Ironwood ordered the four women.

Penny and Neon, with their intense respect for Ironwood, immediately did as they were told. Ruby and Yang exchanged glances, but ultimately did so, as well.

**RPNY is a bizarre way to spell "Rose" but okay.**

”What’s the issue general?” Yang asked, placing her boots on the table.

**If she was just setting her boots on the table then that implies that she took her boots off just to set them and them alone on the table. That's pretty insulting, I like it.**

”I’ll show you.” Ironwood picked up a remote and turned on the projector, starting the video of Sienna’s execution. “This video has begun circling the web after it was posted a few hours ago.”

**Who the hell was recording that last chapter?**

”Isn’t that Sienna Kahn?” Yang took her boots off the table, placing both feet on the ground. “Damn...”

**She picked up her boots but set a pair of feet on the ground. Some sort of supernatural shit is happening in this room and I don't like it.**

”Adam Taurus, with the help of a woman called Salem and an unknown third and forth party have successfully taken over Menagerie after Ghira Belladonna had left Sienna in charge,”

**I'm pretty sure murdering a sitting vice-president while the president is discussing trade isn't how the transfer of power works in any functioning nation. And how the hell could Ironwood tell that there was a third and "forth" party?**

Ironwood explained. “Some of the locals have managed to post videos and pictures detailing what has happened since then...it’s not pretty.”

**Riots? Anarchy? Mass revolution?**

As Ironwood showed them the pictures, Penny couldn’t help but gasp in horror. The humans of Menagerie were being herded into camps. Some videos showed any resistant humans, or faunus who attempted to help the humans, were shot on sight, not detailing a good fate to the people who did as they were told.

**Ethnic cleansing. Dissapointed, but not surprised.**

”This all started a few hours ago?” Ruby asked, shocked.

”Adam is a fast worker,” Ironwood said. “Apparently he’s been harboring deep hatred for humanity for quite some time.”

**And in spite of his assets being four people in a warehouse so far, he's managed to organize mass deportations and establish death camps in the amount of time it takes me to finish my geometry homework.**

 

”Any reason why?” Ciel asked.

”Would you believe good old-fashioned patriotism?” Ironwood snarked.

**What the hell does that mean? Is Ironwood implying that Adam is a patriot who believes that what he's doing is best for his nation? Is the author snarking against patriotism and nationalism? I can't tell.**

”Figures,” Yang scoffed.

**Yang can understand, why can't I?**

”We’ve been digging up dirt on Taurus for a while, just recently he had been accused of murdering nine human women that lived in Menagerie.” Ironwood showed the women the pictures of the victims, eliciting another gasp from Penny.

”Serial killer turned rebel terrorist, yikes,” Yang snarked.

**It's not snark when you're just restating the information that was already provided in a way that doesn't add anything.**

”So, what do you want us to do about this?” Neon asked.

”We’re going to be sending you ladies in to put a stop to this gross human rights violation.”

**Four women are going to clear all the concentration camps in a nation. Seems like a good plan on par with sending a single blond dude in to save the president's daughter.**

”So...caping this fuckstick?” Yang asked.

**Forgive me for my ignorance but what the fuck does "caping" someone mean?**

”Pretty much, yes,” Ironwood confirmed. “If you could end the Salem woman and the other two members of this atrocity, that would be great too.”

**The Nuremberg Trials but it's vigilante justice and also only four people are punished.**

”These two other members got a name?” Yang asked.

**Most people do.**

”Not at the moment, only a picture.” Ironwood tossed down the image of two women, arms locked together as they watched the carnage. One had a sadistic grin, with amber colored eyes and short black hair that went to her shoulders. The other looked rather remorseful, with short green hair.

**The duality of people who help genocide happen.**

”We’ll, at least we know who to aim for!” Yang took the picture and examined it.

**Are the four of them just gonna go door-to-door, asking people if they had seen those women?**

”You’ll also be accompanied by the best soldier in the Atlas Military,” Ironwood said. “So, hopefully, you’re plan will go well.”

**Nevermind, I was wrong. Now that five people are on the case I'm sure they can liberate every camp in this country.**

”Hopefully,” Yang deadpanned.

”Just who is this ‘best soldier in the Atlas Military’?” Ruby asked.

**Chapter two ends there, on probably the least tense cliffhanger in literary history. On to chapter three!**

 

”I once snipe an ant that was on a helicopter, causing it to crash and blow up an oil refinery killing every terrorist who’s ever lived!” Oobelck bragged.

**Why is "Oobelck" talking like a bad Russian stereotype? What the fuck does that sentence mean? Why, out of all the characters in RWBY, did the author have to pick "Oobelck?"**

Team Rose just stared at him in disbelief.

**Exactly.**

 

”That last part was an over exaggeration,” Ironwood said.

”No kidding,” Yang snarked.

**Why is Yang the snark machine in the room? That role should fall to Neon in my eyes.**

”However, all that stuff before it was true,” Ironwood assured, then he sighed. “Yes, including the ant part.”

**How the fuck does that work?**

”Well, in that case, welcome aboard team Rose, Oobelck.” Ruby held out her hand for him to shake it.

**Seeing as that story shows more talent then all of you combined, I'm pretty sure "Oobelck" could singlehandedly liberate the entire nation.**

Oobleck just looked at her hand. “What is this...is this like a secret code or something?”

”No...it’s a handshake?” Ruby answered, unsurely.

”Oh...right!” Oobelck shook her hand. “Sorry, stuff tends to slip my mind...a lot...”

”Could’ve fooled me,” Yang snarked.

**Find a different verb already.**

”Alright, you all can get to know each other later,” Ironwood said. “Get geared up, you’ll be heading out in 800 hundred hours, under the cover of darkness.”

”Yes sir!” Everyone but saluted.

**I want to know what a "but salute" is but I don't think I want to know.**

As team Rose was getting geared up, Penny made her way up to Ruby. “Ruby, can I speak with you?”

**I don't know Penny, can you speak to Ruby?**

Ruby looked over to Neon and Yang, who were too busy getting ready to pay them attention. “Of course.”

Penny lead Ruby to the locker room, and the second they were alone, she whirled around and kissed Ruby. Ruby was shocked at first, but soon melted into the kiss.

**Penny is extremely lucky that Ruby turned out to be receptive to that kiss because if she wasn't then this would be sexual assault.**

”I just want to feel you...in case either of us-“

**"I just want to feel you," Penny reassures Ruby as she licks her eye, eventually popping it out of the socket.**

”We’ll be okay Penny,” Ruby assured. “I won’t let anything happen to you, to any of you.”

**Why would you say "any of you" while speaking to a single person?**

Penny smiled. “Nore will I, as well.”

Penny has gotten off Ruby and turned to leave when the latter grabbed her wrist.

”Where are you going?” Ruby asked.

**Away.**

Penny was shocked. “Well...I just...you gave me confidence so I didn’t think we’d need to...you know.”

Ruby grew a mischievous grin. “You have a commitment, soldier.”

Penny blushed. “Oh...uh...yes, ma’am.”

Ruby pulled Penny into a kiss. Thankfully, the two hadn’t gotten fully geared up yet, so they were still mostly in their standard Atlas Military attire.

**As far as I know, Atlassian Military attire would be a thong with Ironwood's face on it and nothing else.**

 

After their kiss, Ruby lifted Penny’s shirt over her head, doing the same to her own afterwards. Now both in their bras, Ruby gleefully unhooked her’s, stepping away from Penny so she could get a good view of her slowly slipping the bra off of her shoulders. Penny looked, wide-eyed, mouth agape.

**Penny's reacting to Ruby's breasts the same way I reacted to breasts when I was thirteen and just learning what porn was.**

”Come on, Penny,” Ruby giggled. “We’ve done this before.”

”Not enough for me to be used to it,” Penny said, blush never leaving her face.

**That's a personal problem.**

”Come on, your turn,” Ruby said, seductively. She was bare chested now, her medium sized brest free for Penny to take in.

”My...turn...” Penny’s face became even more red.

”You want me to help you?” Ruby moved up to Penny, intentionally pressed her brest against her chest as she reached behind Penny and unhooked her bra.

**It's real nice to imagine Ruby's "brest" pressed up against her chest.**

”Th-thank y-you,” Penny stuttered out. “I c-can take it f-from here.”

”Okay.” Ruby stepped back.

**Why would there be a scene like this, that establishes both of these girls to be vulnerable and awkward, before expecting the reader to believe that they can liberate multiple concentration camps?**

Penny didn’t have Ruby’s seductive attitude, so she just slipped off her bra with none of the latter’s playfulness.

”Ugh...I’m still jealous.” Ruby pouted when she saw Penny’s D-cup brest.

**D-cup "brests?" Have you fucking watched the show? Penny has A-cups, and that's being generous.**

”I’m sorry.” Penny shifted, awkwardly.

**Oh, thanks for adding "awkwarldy." Otherwise, I would've thought she was shifting around confidently.**

”It’s okay, Penny.” Ruby smiled, then she moved in on Penny. “Why don’t you make it up for me?”

Before Penny could even say anything, Ruby began to suck on Penny’s left nipple. Penny moaned in satisfaction, leaning her back against the lockers to ensure she wouldn’t fall.

**This is an excellent little scene in the story about genocide.**

Ruby released Penny’s nipple with a satisfying “Pop” before moving to her right and doing the same. As she did this, her hands reached down Penny’s pants, and began rubbing her lips.

**I had to do a double-take and re-read that because I initially thought it was talking about actual human lips instead of a vagina.**

”Ruby~!” Penny tried to exclaimed as quietly as possible.

”How many?” Ruby asked.

”Wha...?” Penny couldn’t focus.

”How many?” Ruby repeated.

”Um...screw it...two!”

Ruby smirked and inserted two of her fingers into Penny.

**This is the least attractive lesbian sex scene I think I've ever read in a fanfic.**

Despite her request, Penny wasn’t ready. Her head flew back, striking the lockers as she let out a scream of ecstasy.

**"Hmm, what should I put in my sex scene? I know! Head trauma!"**

Ruby felt Penny’s juices release onto her hand as she gently held her until she came down from her high.

”That was...wonderful...” Penny breathed out.

”Thanks.” Ruby smiled, then her face turned to one of concern. “Are you okay, though? You banged your head pretty hard.”

**"If it doesn't give you a concussion it's just foreplay," Penny replied.**

”Too...hot and bothered to notice,” Penny joked. “I’m fine.”

”You two done?”

Ruby and Penny froze, then turned to face Yang and Neon. Yang had a smug grin on her face, and Neon had a shocked look on her face, along with a blush.

**The duality of watching your teammates fuck.**

”How long-“ Ruby began.

”No worries, sis,” Yang assured, chuckling. “I would never watch my own sister have the sexy times, we came,”

**What babbling is that? "I would never watch my sister have the sexy times, we came." That sounds like a fucking toddler talking.**

Yang interrupted herself with a snort, “just as Penny...well...that was a pretty impressive scream.”

**"If it doesn't damage your vocal cords it's just foreplay," Yang elaborated.**

Penny’s face turned bright red, and her eyes darted in all directions. “Um...thanks?”

”Come on, Neon.” Yang wrapped her arms around the still cat faunus. “Why don’t we have a little fun too, before we ship off?”

”I...sure Yang...” Neon agreed.

Yang picked up Neon, bridal style, and carried her out of the room.

As soon as they left, Penny grabbed Ruby’s wrist and turned her around, pinning her against the lockers.

”P-Penny?!” Ruby was shocked.

It was Penny’s turn to grow a mischievous grin. “Your turn.”

Ruby smirk as Penny moved in on left her nipple.

**This is a military facility, so I wonder what the security guy is thinking as he watches this. Anyways, that was chapter two. Onto the next one.**

Team Rose broke the surface of the water. A White Fang soldier was standing on the dock they were under.

**This is the clunkiest way to establish the scenery I've ever seen.**

Ruby motioned to Yang, and the latter took out her silence pistol.

**What motion? Did she just make a finger-gun?**

Slipping out from underneath the dock, Yang took out the soldier with a well-placed shot to the head. He fell to the wood with a thud.

”Hey, Perry?” Team Rose heard another white fang soldier call out. “You alright? I heard a thud.”

Yang instinctively pulled Perry’s body into the water.

”Perry? Did you fall off the dock again?” They heard the white fang soldier laugh. “You’ve got to stop doing that, man.” He walked over to the dock’s edge, and looked into a dark water below. “Come on up, buddy.”

**I can hear the sad concern in that guy's voice. This point is the most emotionally invested I've been in this fic so far.**

Instead of Perry, Penny sprung up from the water,

**She pulled a little sneaky on ya.**

and dug her hunting knife into his throat. The soldier could only look at her, eyes wide,

**That was probably really awkward for the both of them.**

before she pulled him into the water.

”Good job, ladies,” Oobelck complimented from his hiding spot in the trees. “All white fang soldiers are down.”

”There were only two?”

**As of now it seems that only six people were in on this plan.**

Ruby asked. “Wait...Oobelck...how did you get on Menagerie before we did?”

”A magician never reveals his secrets!”

**Offscreen teleportation, he's a serial killer.**

”Wait...what?” Neon asked, confused.

”Girls. Mission,” Ruby reminded.

“Right,” Yang and Neon said, simultaneously.

Team Rose put their breathers back into their mouths, and dived back under the dark waters, making their way towards land.

”Alright, you girls all ready?” Ruby asked the other members of Team Rose.

**I'd hope they'd be. What would you do if one of them said no, wait on the dock?**

They had just switched from their diving gear to their stealth equipment. A waterproof bag Neon was lugging under the waters made sure nothing was damaged.

”Ready,” the three others answered.

”Oobelck, you got that?” Ruby asked into her earpiece.

”You know it!”

**Except she didn't, that's why she asked.**

”Good, keep us covered and tell us about any threats that need neutralizing,” Ruby ordered.

”Yep!”

**Except you guys are underwater, is he supposed to run along the shore and yell where the threats are?**

”Good.” Ruby turned to the rest of Rose. “Come on, girls.”

”Let’s cap this fuckstick,” Yang smirked.

**This is the least cool one-liner I have ever read.**

“Only shoot if you can kill,” Ruby reminded as team Rose snuck into the compound.

**Oh, good to know we aren't abiding by the "Shoot them in each metacarpal before planting a cap between their eyes" policy.**

They were given intel that Adam and his associates would be in the most heavily fortified room.

**That's not intel, that's a combination of common sense and JRPG dungeon mechanics.**

Team Rose, with Oobelck watching over, could hopefully sneak through and take him out.

**Yes, that is the plan. Thanks for the reminder.**

With the hydra’s heads burned at the stump, the Atlas a Military could step in and finish it the rest of this off no problem.

**Why would the "Atlas a Military" be able to solve it instantly? Do Adam and Salem have no one else that could take over?**

Thankfully, for team Rose, Adam’s compound was rather cheap.

**Hey, evil bases are expensive. Do you know how expensive it is to set your crucified victims at strategic points along the walls?**

The walls that surrounded the place were falling a cracked and falling apart, letting team Rose slip in no problem.

**Adam apparently skipped out on guards too.**

“Time to slip up,” Ruby said.

**Telling your teammates when exactly to fuck up is a pretty unique leadership tactic.**

“Yang, Neon, you two plant as much C4 as you possibly can around this place. Penny, you and I will take out Adam, Salem, and our other two targets.”

**This is the master plan. Nothing can possibly go wrong here.**

Penny nodded.

”Don’t fuck each other on the way there,” Yang joked.

**No sexy times.**

”I could say the same to you, sis,” Ruby joked back. “Good luck.”

”You too, sis.” Yang took off in the other direction, Neon following close behind.

”Penny, you and I will need to head to the security room to make sure no one notices Neon and Yang.”

”Understood.” Penny nodded.

”Good, come on.” Ruby lead Penny through the darkened compound, sneaking past White Fang soldiers.

**Assuming that Penny is wearing her normal outfit, she must be a stealth god on par with Solid Snake.**

They needed to be extra cautious due to faunus having higher senses. They could only move when a soldier had their back turned, allowing one of the two to take them out with a shot to the head.

**What about Faunas with enhanced hearing? Or smell?**

Eventually, they made it to the security room.

”I got this.” Penny took point, stepping towards the door.

”It’s all yours, my dear.” Ruby stepped back to allow Penny room to work.

Penny, after taking out her pocket knife, knocked on the door three times.

”Coming, coming,” a white fang soldier said from the other side of the door.

The second he opened the door, Penny tossed her knife into his head. Diving into the room with a cartwheel, she took out the second guard before her could make a sound with two shots to the chest.

**So was she also holding the gun, because as far as I know she just pulled a gun out of the void.**

”God, you’re hot when you work,” Ruby complimented.

**"It's hot watching you murder people," Ruby complimented.**

Penny was grateful her gear kept Ruby from seeing her blush. “Thanks.”

**So are they still wearing their equipment from diving, because that shit would be noisy.**

”Neon, Yang, security is down,” Ruby said into her earpiece. “You can set the charges wherever you like, as long as none of the other guards can see them.”

”Got ya! Good job, sis!”

”Alright Penny, time to cut off the hydra’s head and burn the stumps,” Ruby said.

**That's not a clever enough phrase to warrant using more than once.**

Penny smiled, readying her gun and hunting knife. “I’m combat ready.”

**Using a character's catchphrase in the proper context and making it feel like natural dialogue, that's pretty good though.**

“Good, because things are about to get a little hectic.” Ruby took out her EMP. With the press of a button, everything electrical in the compound shut down.

**Some dude with a pacemaker is having a very bad day right now.**

Ruby and Penny heard a girlish scream come from outside.

“Dude, really?” A White Fang member asked.

”I’m scared of the dark!” Another exclaimed.

**That was pretty funny, not gonna lie.**

Ruby and Penny exchanged glances before they made their way to the security room’s door.

”Okay, the command room is right here, they should be in here,” Ruby explained, then she placed a sticky on the door. “On three. One...two...”

**Is the plan just to walk in shooting? There's a pretty good chance of getting turned into swiss cheese like that.**

Before Ruby could finish, the door was blasted open, knocking both girls onto their backs, their auras barley saving them from being seriously injured.

**Yeah, Aura is pretty good at "barley" saving people. Also, is this really an AU at this point. Aura, Faunas, pretty fundamental parts of the canon are still present. It doesn't even take too much mental gymnastics to imagine that team Ruby are just huntresses.**

”Well, well, well, I have to say, Salem.” Adam stepped out of the room, Salem following behind him. “Your informate plan was pretty smart, for a human.”

**Yeah, getting an "informate" to drop fake intel was pretty good. I just question how the last part of that plan was explained as.**

**"We let them infiltrate our facility, murdering several of our guards and probably planting explosives in several key locations, and on the off-chance that they make their way to where we are we will somehow detonate explosives on the door right as they're outside."**

Salem scoffed. “Ironwood is too gullible.”

 

 

 

 

”Why?” Ruby asked.

”Because I want him to know what’s coming,” Salem sadistically smiled at Ruby, “and that their is nothing he can do to stop it.”

**Are you sure that "their" is nothing he can do? I'm pretty sure he still has an entire army.**

”On your feet, ladies.” Adam aimed his gun at Ruby’s head.

With their hands on their head, Ruby and Penny were lead outside. They were greeted to the sight of Neon and Yang on their knees, hands on their head. A white fang soldier stood a few feet away, holding all of their C4.

**All of it? Really? What the fuck were they doing? Fucking?**

”What’s your game, Taurus?!” Ruby demanded.

**He strikes me as an FPS guy.**

”Well-“ Adam began in a boasting manner.

**Oh god, he's gonna start monologuing.**

”Please, I’m the mastermind of this, Taurus is just the mussel,” Salem said, uncaring that Adam was a few feet away from her.

**That's how you get betrayed.**

”Hey!” Adam gritted his teeth.

Salem ignored him. She took Ruby’s earpiece and whispered into it. “I know you’re there Oobelck. Do me a favor, and tell Ironwood Ciara Summerlyn is coming for him and Ozpin. By the way, you can try and take that shot, but would losing your and Team Rose’s lives really be worth it?” With that, she crushed the ear piece in her hand.

**How the fuck does Salem know where he is, and why wouldn't she just kill him?**

Feom the tree he was watching from, Oobelck could only watch as team Rose was taken away.

”Oh...crap...” he whispered.

 

 

###  **You killed a fucking ant, which led to destroying a helicopter. There's not that many people in the courtyard, just pull a high noon on them.**

**Anyway, onto the next chapter.**

“Oz, we need to talk, now.” Ironwood stepped into Ozpin’s office.

”What’s the matter, James?” Ozpin asked. “I hope that situation in Menagerie hasn’t been too much of a hassle for you.”

”Here’s the thing-“

”Who the heck is this bitch!” Oobelck came stomping into the room, soaking wet.

**Does he have a Polaroid or something?**

”Bartholomew?” Ozpin widened his eyes. “What-“

”I’m going to stop you right there.” Oobelck held up his pointer finger. “I have something to ask  **you**. Who is Ciara Summerlyn?”

**I'll do you one better; why is Ciara Summerlyn?**

Ozpin face contorted into one of shock and terror.

”That crazy wench captured team Rose, then caught me, beat me up, then tossed me into the ocean a good five miles away from Vale’s shore!” Oobelck sat studiously in front of Ozpin. “Before the ‘caught me’ part, she told me to tell James her name, then James immediately wanted to tell you. Considering that stupid look you’re giving me, you know what I’m talking about.”

**Remind me why she didn't just kill you?**

”I suppose it was only a matter of time.” Ozpin got his bearings. “Oobelck, the story I’m about to tell you is something I haven’t told anyone in a long time. James is the only one who knows.”

Oobelck lead back in his chair, folding one leg on top of the other. “Alright, I’m listening.”

**Who did he "lead" back to the chair?**

”It started...lifetimes ago...”

_I was but a wanderer in that day. I would go from place to place, helping people in need._

_One day, I was called to help liberate a village from it’s cruel leader...her name, was Ciara Summerlyn._

**Mind elaborating on why she's "it's" cruel leader?**

”You have to help us!” A woman begged. “Please, Ozma, your feats are known throughout the land!”

**People approach him with their life problems like he's Dovakiin or some shit.**

Ozma was unsure if he could tackle what the woman asked of him. He’s dealt with his fair share of scum, but even the leader of something as small as a village might prove difficult for him to overcome.

”Please...” the woman was practically on her hands and knees.

”I...” Ozma sighed. “Alright.”

The woman smiled in relief, she took his hands and began kissing them. “Bless you, we must leave for my village at once!” She gleefully pulled Ozma out of the bar she had found him in.

 _I_   _really_   _wanted_   _a_   _drink_ ,  _though_. Ozma looked back to the bar as the woman dragged him along.

Ozma and the woman, who had introduced herself as Sarah, arrived at the village by sundown. Ozma looked at the wooden sigh the held the village’s name.

”Salem?” Ozma read.

**That's what the "sigh" says.**

”Yes, my home,” Sarah said. “Ciara was always a cruel woman...but ever since she found that...pool, she’s gone complete off the deep end. She honestly believes she can harness its power to become immortal.”

**Yeah, thinking you're immortal is definitely a sign that you've gone "complete" off the deep end.**

”This woman sounds truly made,” Ozma agreed.

**Ozma says that like she's some rich movie star in a football field-sized mansion.**

”That’s why you must-“

”It’s that time, again!” Ciara shouted, excitedly. She was surrounded by her personal guards. “Who wants to volunteer to be the next experiment in my path to immortality?”

”What is she doing?” Ozma asked.

**Psuedoscience.**

”What she’s been doing every week for years, tossing people into the pit to see what happens.” Sarah’s face fell. “It always ends in death.”

**I don't know, the methodology seems pretty sound to me.**

Ciara looked out to the crowd that had formed in front of her. Most of the villagers didn’t want to do it, but Ciara had grown increasingly unstable as she was experimenting with the pool, and had threatened to slaughter the entire village if they didn’t follow her orders. Ozma could see they surrounded a pool of black substance.

”I said...who wants to volunteer first?!” Ciara shouted.

No one stepped forward.

She breathed out a heavy sigh, then snapped her fingers. Her men immediately moved in one a child, snatching him from the arms of his mother.

”No! Stop!” The mother begged.

**Why would a child help here? You're a full-grown woman, sacrifice someone your own age.**

 

”Well, guess you should’ve volunteered then!” Ciara spat. “Toss him-“

**Okay, that's a pretty good retort.**

”That’s enough!” Ozma’s voice boomed over the commotion. He pulled his sword out. “Unhand that boy immediately!”

Ciara just laughed. “Look who it is, boys! The wandering hero of Remnant, here to save this worthless village. Kill him!”

Her men immediately charged Ozma.

”Five on one? Doesn’t seem fair,” Ozma said.

”Sorry, pal, we don’t play-“ before the smug mercenary could finish, Ozma slashed his blade across his throat.

”For you.” Ozma entered a battle stance as the other four surrounded him.

**Wow, that's so original.**

Acting fast, Ozma grabbed the crossbow that was on his waist and took out another one of Ciara’s men.

”Quick!” Sarah called out to the other members of her village. “While her men are distracted!”

Ciara watched as the villagers she had ruled over began to stalk towards her. “Hey! Stay back!” She held a blade to the boy’s throat. “I will end him!”

**No worries guys, she's just gonna end the kid. Killing is going too far.**

Ozma cut down the last two thugs with relative ease, before turning his attention towards Ciara.

”Drop the boy, now!” Ozma demanded.

Ciara looked to the crowd and realized she had been bested. “Fine.” She spitefully threw the boy into the pool.

**Wrong choice of words.**

”Matthew! No!” The mother cried, having to be held back by her fellow villagers to keep from jumping into the pool to join her son.

”Mommy!” The boy broke the surface with black veins and red eyes. He let out one last haunting cry of agony before sinking beneath the liquid.

**Alright, kudos, that's pretty creepy.**

Ozma could only look in open-mouthed horror. “What...what have you done?!”

**She threw a kid into the pool, seems kind of obvious.**

Ciara smirked, sadistically. “Had to get the last laugh!”

Ozma stormed over to her and grabbed her by the throat. “Well, how about you get a taste of your own medicine!” Ozma tossed her into the pool.

Instead of surfacing like the child, only a few bubbles came up before ceasing. Ozma was about to the turn to the villagers when the pool suddenly erupted.

”Well, I should be thanking you, Ozma.” Salem looked down at the terrified warrior before her. “Looks like pool worked after all.”

**Nice job Ozma, who could've guessed that throwing someone into the pool that they were trying to get to give them immortality would've made them immortal?**

Everyone in the village of Salem was in shock.

”What...how?!” Ozma screamed.

”Guess it just wasn’t your day!” Salem dived towards Ozma.

**That's the shittiest one-liner possible for this situation.**

”She killed me, that day.”

**That reminds me of all those really shitty creepypastas that always had the endings where they implied that the author died.**

”Wait...then why-“

**Zombification. The brains were a necessary sacrifice.**

”The Gods,” Ozpin explained. “They weren’t happy with me giving a deranged lunatic immortality, so they cursed me with it as well.”

**If the Gods can give people immortality then couldn't they take it away?**

”Ah...I see...” Oobelck adjusted his glasses. “So...this Salem woman?”

”Must’ve taken the name as a sick joke.”

”What could she be planning?” Ironwood asked.

”Knowing her, nothing good,” Ozpin said.

**No really, the woman who was ready to throw a child into a viscous pool isn't planning good things? I couldn't tell, especially after she teamed up with the racist.**

 

Ren was woken up only an hour past midnight. With a groan, he checked his scroll and saw that it was Nora requesting face-time. Immediately waking up, Ren shot up from the bed and answered.

”Ren?” Nora noticed Ren was in bed and came to a realization. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot about time zones and-“

”It’s fine, Nora,” Ren chuckled. “What did you need?”

”Just wanted to wish you an early Christmas, pancake,” Nora said with a smile. “I can’t wait for you to get home for the season.”

”I can’t wait either, Nora,” Ren said.

**Okay, so far I love Ren and Nora here. They're so cute.**

”One more thing.” Nora grew a mischievous smirk. “I have a very special Christmas present for you!”

”Really?” Ren cocked an eyebrow. “Can I get a hint?”

”Fine, but only because I love you so much,” Nora said. “Pink!”

”Pink?” Ren thought. “Can I ask for another?”

”Nope,” Nora smirked.

”Oh, come on!” Ren laughed. “That’s just a color!”

”A color that will make perfect sense when you get home, pancake!” Nora kissed her scroll’s camera, leaving a kiss mark on the lens. “See you when you get home!”

**My "Something bad is going to happen to these characters" alarm is ringing like hell.**

”Same here, love you.”

”You too!”

**God, I hope I'm wrong.**

Ciel walked through the quiet halls of the Atlas Embassy. She and a handful of recruits were assigned there before their holiday leave. Ironwood considered it a break while not technically being on one. Not much happened in Embassies on Remnant. This usually leads to recruits getting bored and...

”Pyrrha~!” Ciel heard Weiss cry out in ecstasy.

**Alright, that's a pretty good transition from the exposition to the actual events of the chapter.**

”Oh Gods,” Ciel facepalmed, “not again.”

**There's also some pretty good laughs to have in the realization that Ciel has found these two like that before.**

Ciel followed the moans and found herself in front of a janitorial closet.

”Really?” Ciel snarked to herself.

**Still not the verb you're looking for.**

She unhesitatingly opened the door to fine Pyrrha and Weiss in a loving embrace, naked, lying on top of a makeshift bed made out of their military uniforms and any of the soft fabrics in the closet.

”Ciel!” Weiss exclaimed in a scolding manner.

”Don’t you dare ‘Ciel’, me!” Ciel stomped her foot. “Easy duty or not, you two can’t screw on the job! How many times to I need to tell you this?!”

**"Toes" he need to tell you two again?**

Weiss and Pyrrha glanced at each other, then their naked bodies.

”Apparently not enough for us to get it,” Weiss snarked.

**I laughed for quite a bit at that.**

Ciel just glared at her.

”Weiss, we only have a few more days until our holiday leave,” Pyrrha said, gently. “Maybe we can wait until then for our nights of passion?”

”Oh,  _ **now**_  you think of that!” Ciel rolled her eyes. “Just get dressed, both of you! What if something major happened while you two were in here?”

**I know foreshadowing when I see it.**

”Calm down,” Weiss assured. “Nothing ever happens in Vale, Ciel.”

_**Foreshadowing.** _

Ciel scoffed. “Still. We should always be on our guard.”

”That’s why I’m banging my girlfriend in the closet, and you’re still single.”

**Ouch.**

”Weiss!” Pyrrha scolded.

Blake laid in the two bedroom hotel room her father had rented the family while visiting Vale for his Trade discussion with Ozpin. This room now functioned as a temporary home until whatever was going on in Menagerie could be sorted out.

**Nothing bad can ever happen during these times by placing a major leader and his daughter in a hotel room with no evident protection during a revolution. They're about as safe as the Romanovs.**

”What do you mean they won’t send the military?” Blake heard Kali asked through the walls.

”I begged Ozpin and Ironwood for some help, but they only sent in a small team!” Ghira shouted in stress. “When that team was captured, they wanted to hold off until they could ‘better understand this threat’! Innocent humans are dying!”

**Ghira is entirely right to be frustrated. "Oh fuck, five people can't liberate a country," yeah, no shit. Just send the fucking army already.**

”They’ll figure something out, Ghira,” Kali assured.

”That damned bull will pay for this,” Ghira said. “If he’s still alive when this is all over, I’ll kill him myself!”

”I still can’t bel Adam was behind all this...he seemed like such a sweet young man.”

**Yeah, I wouldn't "bel" it either.**

”It’s always the ones you least expect,” Ghira said, somberly.

**_"I will bet you anything that while you're watching a quiet one, a noisy one will FUCKING KILL YOU! Suppose you're in a bar and one guy's sittin' over on the side, readin' a book, not bothering anybody, another guy's standing up front with a machete, bangin' it on the bar, sayin' 'I'LL KILL THE NEXT MOTHERFUCKER WHO COMES IN HERE!' Who ya gonna watch? You're goddamn right."- George Carlin_ **

**Reflecting on Carlin's wisdom, there's no way Adam was nice and dandy before this. He didn't walk out one day and say "Heya guys, I'm gonna commit a genocide now." There are always signs.**

Blake stared at the ceiling of her room, listening to her parents talks about the terrible things happening in her country.

**Oh, that's what they were talking about? I thought they were discussing the class struggle.**

She remembered Adam, who was so gracious, kind and sweet whip courting her. She remembered how he would make her laugh, how loving his voice was when he admitted his love for her. She remembered when he would sneak into her room some nights so the two could make love.

Then, she remembered how angry he got when humans started to migrate to Menagerie to start businesses there. She remembered him complaining about them ‘taking jobs away from hard working faunus’, and how Ghira should find a way to stop them from coming in. She remembered how he talked when he told her he’d find a way to make Remnant ‘Genetically pure’, how cold and emotionless it was.

**Yeah, I know, reading ahead before riffing on a story tends to make you right about a lot of things.**

”Oh Adam...” Blake felt tears roll down her face. “What have you become?”

**A murderer. He was already a racist, but the actually carrying out a genocide part is kind of new. Most edgy twenty-something white guys just talk about genocide on Reddit.**

Neo walked through the snowy streets of Vale. The small mute was a member of Vale’s Military, but was currently on holiday leave, which started early for Vale’s soldiers.

**Wait, so are we jumping around in time? 'Cause just earlier Weiss and Pyrrha were talking about their holiday leave being soon. What's happened with the kidnapped team?**

She caught a snowflake on her tongue, as she made her way towards Vale’s coast. While obviously too cold for any swimming, she still enjoyed looking out the sea. Leaning against a rail, she did just that, taking in the view as the sea reflected the grey clouds above.

**These sentences alone establish Neo's character in the fic better than I expected.**

That’s when she heard it.

 _Planes?_  

_**Look mummy! There's an aeroplane up in the sky!** _

Neo thought. Her mind was the only part of her body that talked clearly, but only she could hear it. She looked up, but couldn’t see anything due to the clouds.  _I_   _guess_   _not_. She casually glanced back toward the sea, and her jaw dropped.

Just a few miles away from Vale’s short, an army of submarines were breaking the surface.

**Okay, this is a new development that was paced really well. This is getting better.**

”Sir, we have subs off Vale’s coast!” A Vale soldier shouted.

 

”What?” The ship captain immediately turned on his radio. “Ship 2, can you confirm.”

”Can confirm, Ship 1,” a female voice answered.

”Ship 3, do you see the subs?” The Captain asked. “Ship three, respond!”

On Ship 3, every Atlas soldier laid dead. Two women, one with short, black hair, and amber colored eyes. The other had red eyes, with green hair.

”Alright, Emerald.” Cinder grew a sadistic grin. “This is where the fun begins!”

**Alright, I'm ready for some action. It was getting pretty boring, but now I'm pretty interested.**

“Humans of Menagerie, look at your once prosperous world.” Adam appeared on a large screen in the camp. Next to him was a screen of the Vale Airship Cinder and Emerald were piloting shooting down the other two, before opening fire on the buildings. “Humanity’s time on this Earth has come to end, and I’ll burn down every city on Remnant to ensure the Faunus reign supreme!”

**Is "Evil dictator appearing on a TV screen to announce victory" a cliche, or is that just me?**

Team Rose, along with every other prisoner in the camp, looked upon the screen in horror.

”Now that the attack on Vale has begun, I think it’s time I get rid of all of you,” Adam revealed a button in his hand. With a sadistic grin, he pressed it.

**Nobody shower!**

That’s when the ground in the camp opened, anc cages rised.

**I'm sure everyone was terrified when the cages "rised" "anc" their doom came out.**

Inside the cages were monsters, wolves, bears, boars, gorillas, but they looked nothing like their animal counterparts. Their fur was black, and their faces resembled bones.

”These creatures were created by my backer in this purge,” Adam explained, smugly. “Right about now, every camp on Menagerie should be revealing these creatures, as well.”

”What are those things?!” Neon asked, fearfully.

”We need to stay calm, girls,” Ruby said. “We’ll think of a way out of this!”

”Now, it’s time I put humanity out of my misery.” Adam turned to someone off camera. “Release them.”

The cages opened just as the screen shut off. The Grimm stared at the humans before them for an uncomfortably long amount of time before a wolf let out a monstrous howl, causing the beasts to charge.

**Well, this is one of the least tense scenes I've ever read through. I got excited for nothing apparently. Also, in a world where Aura was still a thing how were Grimm just being created?**

Adam and Salem looked at the wall of tv screens before them. Every single screen showed one of the hundreds of human concentration camps, and the prisoners of the said camp being slaughtered by the Grimm.

**Please don't be masturbating to the footage, please don't be masturbating.**

”It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Salem asked.

**Please don't be talking about Adam's penis, please don't be talking about Adam's penis.**

”Anything that can help me kill off the inferior is beautiful in my book,” Adam said. “That said, these creatures aren’t going to be enough to win a war with the rest of Remnant. We need those-“

”Launch codes,” Salem finished. “Don’t worry Adam, my protégé will have Ghira brought to you in no time.”

Cinder landed the bullhead just outside of the hotel the Belladonnas were staying at. “Alright men!” Cinder turned to the group of White Fang members behind her. “Kill any civilian you see, but remember we need the Belladonnas alive!”

”Ma’am, why do we have only incendiary rounds?” A white fang soldier asked.

“Because those are my favorite.” Cinder smirked. “Now, let’s get this family.”

**I repeat, just as safe as the Romanovs.**

Cinder and the White Fang soldiers opened the front doors of the hotel to see a crowd of people in the lobby.

**I know it's a hotel and not an airport, but for some strange reason I'm getting real "No Russian" vibes here.**

”Hey, what’s going on...” A man was about to start complaining before he noticed he wasn’t yelling at Vale soldiers.

**"These aren't soldiers, these are terrorists!"**

”Good question.” Cinder and the soldiers aimed their guns at the crowd. “Let me show you.”

Cinder and her men didn’t shoot immediately. Instead, they watched the crowd panic, savoring their fear. They watched the man back up, they watched mothers shield their children, and their husbands shield them. Cinder grew a sadistic grin, knowing that wouldn’t be enough.

**Jesus fucking Christ. Okay, this is actually a pretty cool touch for an already pretty creepy sequence.**

”Alright boys, Fire!” Cinder barked. She and her men cruelly shot down the entire crowd of people.

**Immediately ruined by that one sentence, that managed to take all the sadistic build-up from the last few sentences and drops it, failing to follow through.**

Any who weren’t killed by their wounds, struggled on the ground in pain before a burning sensation overtook them. Cinder listened to their screams with satisfaction, knowing that her incendiary rounds were burning them from the inside out.

**The fic tries to pick that momentum back up, but it's too late.**

Neo was thankful that she was paranoid enough to always keep a pistol on her person. Though, that didn’t mean she faired any better against the hale of missiles from both the submarines and Airship. She could only watch as entire buildings were reduced to rubble in seconds, the screams of the innocents burned themselves into Neo’s mind, and she knew she’d never be able to be free of their screams in her nightmares.

**This is a nice little touch that I'm sure will never come into focus again.**

”Neo, come in!” Ciel contacted Neo through her scroll.

Neo picked up, letting out a grunt to let Ciel know she was listening.

”Neo, it’s crazy out here!” Ciel shouted. “Please tell me you have a weapon!”

Neo let out a hum in confirmation.

**Conversations with Neo must be annoying as hell sometimes. "Hum in the key of F for no, A minor for yes."**

”Good, team Polarity and Oobleck were sent to secure Ghira Belladonna and his family, they’re staying in the Green Stalk hotel,” Ciel explained. “Do you know where that is?”

Neo hummed.

”Alright, Ozpin recommended you help them immediately.”

Neo let out a grunt and hung up her scroll. Cocking her pistols, she began the long trek through the attacked city towards the hotel.

**Also, might I add, who the fuck authorized someone of Neo's rank to just use pistols? Those things are fucking worthless in most military situations.**

Pyrrha looked around the concer towards the Green Stalk hotel. “Oobelck, what’s the situation in the hotel?”

**What the fuck is the "concer?"**

”We got two White Soldiers in the front keeping watch, I’ll be able to take them out, but you’re on your own when you get inside,” Oobelck said.

”Understood, take them out,” Pyrrha ordered, then she turned to Ren and Weiss. “You two ready?”

**Where the hell did Ren come from?**

”Always.” Weiss readied her assault rifle.

Ren wordlessly nodded before doing the same.

”Good, let’s-“

An awkward cough got the three’s attention. They turned to see Neo standing a few feet away from them, Pistol in hand.

”Ah, ice cream, good to have you on our side,” Pyrrha said.

”Guards are down,” Oobleck said through Pyrrha’s ear piece.

”Got it, thank Oobelck,” Pyrrha said. “Alright guys, let’s save ourselves a president.”

**As you do.**

Team Polarity and Neo walked through the lobby, trying to keep their composure while stepping over the bodies of the hundreds of the hotel’s residents.

**The PTSD will haunt them for the rest of their lives, but that's neither here nor there.**

Pyrrha held up her hand when they reached the stairs. “Weiss, you and I take the stairs. Ren, Neo, you two take the fire escape.”

Ren and Neo nodded and went out the back of the Hotel.

”You wouldn’t happen to know how to get that ladder down, would you?” Ren asked Neo.

Neo scratched her chin, then she snapped her fingers. She signed to Ren.

”Boost?” Ren asked. “Sorry, my sign language is a little shaky.”

Neo nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

”Ah, good.” Ren stepped under the ladder and locked his fingers together. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Neo ran up to him and put one foot on his hands. Ren lifted with all of his strength as Neo stepped off, rising her into the air high enough for her to grab the ladder and pull it to the ground.

”Alright, ladies first,” Ren said, picking up his gun.

Neo curtsied before climbing the ladder, Ren following behind.

”Sir, you and you’re family need to stay inside!” Ilia tried to argue.

**Good lord, we've been changing between perspectives so much that I'm getting whiplash.**

”We can’t stay in here,” Kali argued back. “They’re taking out buildings, nowhere inside is safe!”

**Except outside is just as bad seeing as most of the outside has been leveled.**

”We’ve been giving word of a group looking for you, outside you’ll be sitting ducks,” Ilia explained. “They need you, so they won’t destroy the building you’re in.”

**Exactly.**

”What do they want?!” Ghira demanded.

”We believe they want Menagerie’s nuclear launch codes,” Ilia answered, honestly.

That’s when they heard it, Menagerie soldiers screaming in agony.

”Shit, get inside!” Ilia ordered.

Reluctantly, Ghira and his family did that, a group of soldiers following them into their hotel room to set up a barricade.

Ilia ran towards the corner, and saw Cinder executing Menagerie’s soldiers. The woman watched sadistically as her rounds burned the soldiers alive.

Using her distraction as an advantage, Ilia opened fire on the group, killing two soldiers.

Cinder remorselessly grabbed one the white fang soldiers, and used him as a human shield to block Ilia’s bullets. When Ilia’s gun clicked, its clip empty, Cinder tossed his lifeless body to the side and shot Ilia in the leg.

**Okay, I find that to be pretty cool.**

 

”You almost got me.” Cinder walked over Ilia as she gripped her wounded leg.

Ilia looked up to her. “Why?! Why are you doing this?!” Was the last thing Ilia shouted before the pain overtook her, and she began to scream as the round did its thing.

”Why?” Cinder asked. “Well, my bosses want to kill humanity to prove their superiority. I, however? I just want to watch you all burn.” Cinder did just that as Ilia screamed.

**Cinder is no Joker, don't even try.**

Oobelck looked out to the Green Stalk hotel from the roof of the building he across the street. He was paying close attention and noticed a bullhead flying around the building. His eyes widened when he noticed the side of the ship open to reveal a white soldier with a RPG.

”Team Polarity!” Oobelck shouted into his earpiece. “We got a-“

Pyrrha and Weiss felt the entire hotel shake from the blast.

**That's a cut that works much better in a movie than a story.**

”Oobelck, what was that?!” Pyrrha asked, panicked.

”RPG!” Oobelck shouted. “They blew a hole into the Belladonnas’ hotel room!”

**Seems like a pretty good way to not kill them.**

Pyrrha and Weiss shot terrified glared at each other before booking it up the flight of stairs.

Ren and Neo felt the fire escape shake violently.

”Neo...this place is going down!” Ren realized. Looking to his left, he saw a window to a hotel room. Acting fast, he grabbed Neo by her shoulders. “Neo, I’m sorry.” Ren pushed her through the window as hard as he could.

Neo flew through the glass, her aura protecting her. However, when she looked up to Ren, she saw him for only a second before the fire escape gave way and he fell.

 _No!_  Neo ran towards the window, and looked down to see a cloud of dust from the fire escape plummeting to the ground below.

**I think Ren just fucking died. And yet, I feel nothing.**

Pyrrha and Weiss made it to the top floor, and ran into the Belladonnas’ hotel room. Unfortunately, they were too late, and they arrived to see Cinder forcing the family into the bullhead.

”Hey!” Pyrrha shouted.

Cinder let out an annoyed sigh. “Get then on the bullhead.” Cinder shot around and opened fire on Weiss and Pyrrha.

”Pyrrha!” Weiss tackled Pyrrha behind cover, saving her.

”Get your hands off of us!” Ghira shouted.

Cinder kept shooting at Weiss and Pyrrha, ensuring they would stay behind the cover as she backed onto the bullhead.

**I'm getting extremely bored. In spite of everything that's happening, not a single bit of this is exciting.**

Weiss raised her head to see the bullhead begin to fly off. “No!”

She was about to open fire when Pyrrha stopped her. “Weiss, don’t.”

”Girls?! What happened?!” Oobelck shouted into the earpiece. “Did you get the Belladonnas?!”

”Oobelck...we failed...” Pyrrha answered, somberly.

Team Polarity, with Neo, sat in the bullhead. After the failing to save the Belladonnas and the loss of Ren, they were feeling despair.

**Oh, really? I thought that they'd be chipper.**

”I’m going to tell Nora what happened,” Pyrrha said, breaking the silence.

Neo sighed,  _No Pyrrha, Ren died because of me, I should be the one to tell her._

”Are you sure?” Pyrrha asked.

 _I_   _owe_   _Ren_   _that_   _much._  Neo looked to the floor of the bullhead.

”It’s not your fault, you know that, right?” Weiss asked.

Neo just shook her head.  _It sure feels like it is._

**It would count as Ren's fault.**

”It’s not,” Pyrrha assured. “It’s the bastards that took the Belladonnas, the ones who are killing our people, and the ones we’re going to kill for what they did.”

”Damn right,” Weiss agreed.

Neo just looked at the assault rifle in hands, then nodded to the other two.

”Guys! Some crazy shit is going on down below!” The pilot called.

”What?” Pyrrha asked.

”Look for yourselves.” The pilot opened the hatches on each side of the bullhead, allowing the three girls to look down at Menagerie.

”Whoa...” Weiss’ mouth fell agape at the carnage below.

Grimm and the White Fang were battling an entire army of humans.

**That's not a cool enough image to justify just one sentence of description.**

”Hey, that’s team Rose down there!” Weiss pointed to Ruby and her crew, who were leading the charge.

”Get us down there!” Pyrrha ordered the pilot.

”If you say so!” The pilot lowered the ship close to the ground so Team Polarity and Neo could jump out. “Time to get the fuck out of dodge!” With that, he flew off.

”Well, I hope we won’t be needing him,” Weiss snarked.

**Pick another verb goddammit.**

”Team Rose!” Pyrrha shouted as they joined Ruby and company shooting down Grimm and White Fang soldiers.

”Hey, Metal!” Yang greeted, happily. “Just in time for the party!”

”Hey, where’s Ren?” Ruby asked.

Pyrrha just shook her head.

”Oh Gods...Pyrrha, I’m so sorry,” Ruby said, genuinely.

**Oh good, I thought that Ruby was just masking her overwhelming hatred of Ren. It was so obvious, it's nice that we're making sure.**

”We can mourn him after this is over.” Pyrrha regained her composure.

”Right, why are you guys here?”

”The Belladonnas were abducted, we believe Adam intends to torture the family for Menagerie’s Nuclear Lauch Codes,” Pyrrha explained.

”I saw an airship during the commotion,” Penny said. “It flew to that building over there.” Penny pointed to the Belladonna household.

”Looks like Adam was playing too close to the fire,” Weiss snarked.

”We have a location,” Pyrrha said, before turning back to Ruby. “Ruby, can you help us?”

”Of course.” Ruby turned to her team. “Penny, you’re with me!”

**When it's thought that all is lost, an opportunity to come out on top arises and our heroes have to make a last-ditch attempt to save the day. One of my favorite tropes in fiction, done in such a mediocre manner here.**

 

****”Well, I hope we won’t be needing him,” Weiss snarked.

**I'm going to fucking scream if I see the word "snarked" one more time.**

”Team Rose!” Pyrrha shouted as they joined Ruby and company shooting down Grimm and White Fang soldiers.

”Hey, Metal!” Yang greeted, happily. “Just in time for the party!”

”Hey, where’s Ren?” Ruby asked.

Pyrrha just shook her head.

”Oh Gods...Pyrrha, I’m so sorry,” Ruby said, genuinely.

”We can mourn him after this is over.” Pyrrha regained her composure.

”Right, why are you guys here?”

”The Belladonnas were abducted, we believe Adam intends to torture the family for Menagerie’s Nuclear Lauch Codes,” Pyrrha explained.

”I saw an airship during the commotion,” Penny said. “It flew to that building over there.” Penny pointed to the Belladonna household.

”Looks like Adam was playing too close to the fire,” Weiss snarked.

**Now that I finished screaming after about five minutes, we can get back to the review.**

”We have a location,” Pyrrha said, before turning back to Ruby. “Ruby, can you help us?”

”Of course.” Ruby turned to her team. “Penny, you’re with me!”

**It's lasted for a relatively short time but I'm so fucking bored reading this.**

”On it!” Penny nodded.

”Yang! Neon!”

Both girls looked at Ruby, and the latter smirked. “Kill them all.”

Yang grew an almost maddening grin. “Don’t have to tell me twice! Come on, baby!” Yang charged into a group White Fang soldiers, killing them with her bare hands.

”Honey! Be careful!” Neon went to supply Yang with cover fire.

”You girls ready?” Pyrrha asked.

”Ruby, what’s the term you used?” Ruby asked.

”Combat Ready?” Penny smirked.

”Yeah, we’re that,” Ruby said.

**Get it started already!**

”Well, look at the big happy family we have here!” Adam looked at the three tied up Belladonnas before him.

”I’ll kill you, Taurus!” Ghira fought against his bounds. “For every life you’ve taken, I’ll break a single bone!”

”How unfortunate I don’t have millions of bones,” Adam mocked. “From my records, I’ve killed over millions of humans.”

**About six million I'm guessing.**

”What?” Kali stared, wide-eyed.

”I know, yet that’s not even a quarter of the species.” Adam shook his head, then a sadistic smirk grew on his face. “Thankfully, I’ll have the perfect way to whip out the entire human population.” Adam glared down Ghira. “The Launch codes, Mr. President.”

”Like Hell I’ll give them to you!” Ghira spat.

 ****”I knew you’d say that,” Adam sighed, and walked over to Kali.

**Adam the psychic.**

”Don’t you dare!” Ghira fought against his bounds. “Taurus if you-“

Adam gripped Kali’s pointer finger, and cruelly snapped it.

Kali’s cry made the guards shiver.

**Wow, so simple yet really effective. Stuff happening to the fingers will never cease to creep me out.**

”Mom!” Blake cried, tears in her eyes.

”Damn you, Adam!” Ghira shouted in rage.

”Ghira...whatever happens...please...don’t-“ Kali didn’t get to finish before Adam snapped her middle finger. Kali could only cry out in pain, once more.

”Adam! Stop!” Blake begged. “What happened to you? To us?!”

**Racism mostly.**

Adam stopped at Kali’s ring finger, and turned to Blake. “Oh, don’t think I forgot about our love,” Adam assured. “However, I’m afraid my love for you will be taking a back seat until I’m done with my eradication of humanity.”

**You know how it is, Adam can't settle down until he's seen some of the world. Traveled to some places, sown his wild oats, committed genocide, the average young adult stuff.**

”I’ll never love you if you do this!” Blake shouted, tears of betrayal running down her face.

”Then, beloved, you will have to die!”

**You know how it is, can't be saddled down.**

”Sir!” A white fang soldier interrupted.

”What?!” Adam snapped.

”A group of soldiers are coming straight for us!” He cried. “We’ve sent our best men at them, but they just keep coming!”

**Then do they really count as your "best?"**

”Then Just throw more at them!” Adam barked. “Now get out, and don’t come back until they’re dead!”

**If that ain't S-tier tactics then I don't know what is.**

”But-“

”Do you understand me?!” Adam barked.

The White Fang soldiers let out a yelp, and ran out of the room. Adam sighed, and gripped the bridge of his nose.

”My apologies.” Adam glared at Blake. “Now, where were we?” Adam pulled out a knife, and violently grabbed Blake by the back of her hair, forcing her head back.

”Blake!” Kali cried.

”Adam, stop!” Ghira begged. “Please!”

**If he hasn't stopped with the first set of begging then he's not gonna stop with any of the others. Pretty good advice for anyone when you've been kidnapped and are being tortured, save your breath.**

”The codes, Mr. President!” Adam held the knife to Blake’s left eye. “Or you’re daughter loses her eyesight!”

”I...okay!” Ghira cracked. “Okay! Just...Oh Gods...don’t hurt her...”

**Hundreds of millions, possibly billions of people <One girl's eyesight**

”Glad I finally got you to cooperate.” Adam let go of Blake. “Now, let’s-“

Adam was cut off by the sound of gunfire from outside the door.

”What?” Adam had fear in his voice.

”You know what, Mr. Taurus?” Ghira asked in a mocking manner. “You were destined to fail, do you want to know why?”

Adam stared at him, with fear in his eyes.

”Because you’re a terrible leader.”

**That's the worst takedown speech I've ever read. Incredibly short, doesn't tell anything about the target's character, and not memorable in any way.**

Team Polarity and Rose busted into the room, and shot Adam dead.

**And that was a mediocre death for a pretty good version of Adam.**

 

 

Teams Rose and Metal were escorting Ghira and his family to safety. As they were doing this, Ruby looked back and saw Salem staring down at them from one the Belladonna house’s balconies. She locked eyes with Ruby for a second, then turned and walked into Ghira’s office.

**Why exactly?**

”Hey, you two get the president and his family to safety,” Ruby ordered Weiss and Pyrrha.

”What about you?” Weiss asked.

”Penny and I are going to end the person who started this!”

Weiss and Pyrrha glanced towards each other, before nodding.

”Good luck,” Pyrrha said.

”Thanks, now go!” Ruby turned to Penny. “You-“

”Combat Ready?” Penny asked, knowingly.

”Yep.” Ruby smiled.

”Always.”

**This is a nice call-back, but I have absolutely no emotional investment here.**

With that, the two ran back inside the Ghira house to confront Salem.

Salem sat in at Ghira’s desk, calmly drinking a glass of wine. When Penny and Ruby kicked open the door, she didn’t turn to face them.

”I should thank you,” Salem said. “I was planning on killing that idiotic bull once his usefulness had been used up.”

“Who are you?!” Ruby demanded. “Why are you doing this?!”

**Fuck, please don't get her monologuing. Let the story end, please. I'm more bored reading this then I ever have been.**

”I used to Ciara Summerlyn.” Salem turned to face the two women before her. “I was originally the leader of village thousands of years ago. One day, my men discovered a pool of black sludge that was located right under our feet.” Salem chuckled. “To say I went a little nuts after discovering it would be an understatement. I was sacrificing people by the dozens, convinced it could give immortality.”

”Cut to the chase!” Ruby shouted.

**God, yes, please.**

”One day, a warrior tossed me into the pool, and as I thought I’d die, the pool instead brought me back as...” Salem motioned to herself. “...this.”

”Why?” Penny asked.

”Because that pool was concentrated evil!” Salem boomed. “A hold over from the God of destruction! The reason others who were tossed into the pool died was because-“

”They weren’t evil...unlike you,” Ruby finished.

”Bingo,” Salem said in a joking manner. “After I was brought back, I killed that worthless warrior, and the rest of my village. That’s when I realized how superior to humanity I was in every way!”

**I don't care. I couldn't care less. Please, just fucking die.**

”So this whole thing was just a way for you to flaunt your ego?!” Ruby shouted.

”A little simplistic for my taste, but yes!” Salem smiled.

**Bad motivation, makes sense.**

”What about those animals?” Ruby asked.

”A product of over a thousand years of tossing rabid animals into the pool that granted me my gift,” Salem explained. “After my army was built up, I went to the only man with enough followers and cruelty to match my own.”

**That sounds ever so slightly less boring then this story.**

”Adam...” Ruby said.

”Yes, but that’s enough about me, what do you two want?”

”You dead.” Ruby aimed her gun at Salem’s head. “For all the people you’ve killed, the people who are dying as we speak!”

Salem laughed. “You’ll find that quite impossible. That pool granted me Immortality.”

”Let’s see how good it is.” Ruby coldly shot Salem right between her eyes.

Salem’s head flew back before falling onto Ghira’s desk with an unceremonious thud.

”Guess it wasn’t that good,” Ruby snarked, then she turned to Penny. “Come Penny, let’s get out of here, we have a genocide to stop.”

 ****Penny was just about to nod when she saw Salem sit up, gun aimed at Ruby’s back.

**Imagine my shock.**

“Ruby!” Penny pushed her out of the way, and get a bullet in her chest for her troubles.

**No, not Penny! I hated it when she "get" a bullet in her D-cup breasts.**

”Penny!” Ruby screamed when she realized what had happened.

Penny tried to talk, but could only cough up blood in response.

”Penny...no, no, no, no!”

”Her lungs are probably filling with blood,” Salem mocked. “How sad, she won’t have any last words.”

**Her last words would actually be "Ruby" but okay.**

**”Penny,** come on...stay with me!” Ruby applied pressure to the wound, but it didn’t help Penny at all.

Penny brought her hand to Ruby’s cheek, and looked her in the eyes one last time before her breathing stopped, and her hand fell to the ground.

**Wow, I'm so sad over the characters that this fic has given me no emotional connection to. We watched them fuck, get captured, and die.**

”Penny?!” Ruby shook her head. “No..no...please...no!”

Salem watched with sadistic satisfaction as Ruby cradle Penny in her arms. She would bask in her misery and despair before ending her.

That’s when she saw it, Ruby’s eyes began to glow.

”What the Hell...?” Salem sat up.

”Penny!” Ruby cried out in anguish.

**Silver eyes activate because creating an AU that doesn't have to lean on canon every other plot point is hard.**

As the light enveloped the, Salem felt her skin burn as she was swallowed by the light.

”What...?” Salem began to panic. “No...no!”

Salem’s screams of pain were drowned out by Ruby’s screams of rage and grief. When her eyes closed, Ruby fell to the ground unconscious. Salem was left as nothing more than a pile of ash covering Ghira’s desk.

**That was underwhelming. Well, only a two chapters left now.**

Cinder took in the sight of her house burning. She could still hear the screams of father, mother, and siblings as they burned alive. She was a young woman now, and didn’t need to be raised by any of them anymore, so she only thought it natural to get rid of what she didn’t need.

The fire from her home reflected off of her eyes as she watched and listened to her family burned.

**We don't need to see this. Her backstory didn't matter for the story. This is just padding.**

That’s when she heard it, a twig snap. She turned and was greeted by the sight of a monstrous woman.

”Who are you?” Cinder asked, not showing any fear.

”I am Salem, child,” Salem explained. “Why did you kill your family?”

”I didn’t need them anymore,” Cinder answered.

”Why did you burn them?” Salem asked.

**This is an awkwardly straightforward conversation about murdering your family.**

”Because I like fire,” Cinder admitted. “Since I was baby, I always took an interest in it, which is why my mother named me Cinder.”

**Why would your mother notice this? Why would your mother name you that way? How old are you? Why are you needlessly expositing? Why can't this story end?**

Salem smiled at Cinder’s honesty. “Cinder, I have a plan that will scorch the Earth’s surface in fire...how would you feel being a part of that?”

”Will I get to watch it all burn?” Cinder asked.

”Yes,” Salem said.

”I’ll do it.”

**That was the least interesting negotiation I've ever sat through.**

Cinder knew she would kill her when she was no longer useful. Salem had the same look in her eyes Cinder did whenever she looked in a mirror, the face of someone who only saw people when they posed a great help to their plans, then toss them aside and disregard them like broken power tools when they used all that helpfulness up.

**That's a lengthy sentence for the sake of a not very good metaphor.**

Cinder knew once her part in Salem’s plan was up, then so would her life, but Cinder went along anyway, because Cinder liked fire, and was willing to watch the world burn even if she burned along with it.

**Still doesn't make her role in the story interesting.**

Cinder returned to Vale after delivering the Belladonna family to Adam. She didn’t tell any of her men or Emerald what Adam and Salem needed the Belladonnas for, just that it was important.

Cinder knew that Salem nor Adam would hesitate to launch the nukes the second the launch codes were in their hands.

Cinder didn’t mind...

If she was going to die, she was going to die how she wanted. Watching everything around her, ally and enemy like, burn.

**Okay, so the second least interesting villain is the final one and the most interesting villain was the first to die. I'm not bitter.**

”What?!” Cinder hissed at what the White Fang soldier had reported to her.

”They were taken out!” He cried. “The Yellow-haired girl tricked one of the boar monsters into crashing through the wall of the camp, then she escaped, grabbed one of the guys' guns after killing him with her bare hands, and the rest was history.”

**That'd be pretty interesting to read instead of it being presented.**

”So...Salem and Adam..?”

”Gone!” The White Fang soldier panicked. “This entire situation has fallen apart around us!”

**Yet, the story doesn't end.**

”No matter...” Cinder said, coldly.

”Wait...what do you-“

Cinder abruptly hung up her scroll and went to her earpiece. “Emerald.”

”Yes, ma’am?” Emerald answered.

”Salem and Adam are dead, we are officially leaderless,” Cinder spoke, bluntly.

”What do we do?” Emerald asked, panic evident in her tone.

”Keep firing,” Cinder said. “Don’t stop until they shoot you down.”

”Cinder...”

”We’re going to kill as many as we can, my little gem,” Cinder spoke. “So you’re going to burn them...until they burn you. Understand?”

”Oh course...I love you Cinder,” Emerald admitted.

”You too, Emerald,” Cinder couldn’t bring herself to say the word.

**That'd be a pretty nice touch to her character if the author didn't unnecessarily spell it out.**

With that, she cut contact with Emerald watching as the airship continued to fire on the buildings, taking them down in seconds before on to the next. Cinder heard the screams of the people inside the buildings, and of the people down on the streets. The ones the white fang soldiers were shooting with their incendiary rounds.

Soon enough, however, the Atlas Military arrived, and her forces began to diminish. Emerald was shot down, ship crashing and exploding into a massive ball of fire that Cinder delighted in, then the subs were obliterated, fire resting on the top of water, and finally, ground soldiers began killing off the white fang.

**Expand on the imagery. This isn't enough. This is the foundation for some good moments in the story, but there's just not enough here.**

That’s when the door to the roof she was standing on was kicked open, revealing Ozpin, Ironwood, and Oobelck.

”Freeze! You crazy Bitch!” Oobelck ordered.

”Cinder, is it?” Ozpin asked.

”Yes,” Cinder answered.

”It’s over, you’re forces are gone, and you’re all alone.” Ozpin took a step towards her. “Surrender.”

Cinder turned to face him, face emotionless. “No.” She grabbed a pistol on her waist and aimed it directly at Ozpin’s head.

Unfortunately for her, Ironwood was much quicker on the draw. He shot her shoulder, but the force was enough to knock her from the roof and plummeting to the ground below.

Landing on a car, Cinder spent her last moments staring at the burning remains of the Vale ship Emerald was piloting. The flames reflecting off of her eyes as they slowly glazed over.

**This would be a pretty emotional death if Cinder had more meaningful room in the story. However, the image of Cinder falling as flames reflect in her eyes is a pretty good one.**

Nora

**Oh fuck, oh god no not this.**

sat in her living room, worried out of her mind. She hadn’t gotten any word from Ren sense the attack on Vale started, and had gone to bed praying every night for his safe return.

**Oh fuck, don't put me through this.**

That’s when there was a knock on the door. Bracing herself, Nora stood, and walked over to the door. She hesitated while reaching for the knob, but with a shaky sigh, she opened the door, and was greeted by Neo.

Nora’s eyes widened. “Please...please, don’t tell me...”

**My eyes are ready for the tsunami of emotion.**

 

Neo couldn’t keep her composure and had tears running down her face at the same time Nora did.  _Nora, I’m so sorry._

”Stop!” Nora opened the door completely, revealing the lump on her stomach. “Don’t you dare tell me this little girl isn’t going to have a father!”

Neo let out a gasp of shock. She covered her mouth.

”Don’t you...don’t you dare tell me that...” Nora soon fell to her knees, weeping.

Neo fell with her, wrapping her arms around Nora in a desperate attempted to console her. Neo wished every day that it had been her, and will probably continue to wish this until the day she died.

”Pancake...” Nora cried. “Why...?”

Vale may have been saved, and the bad guys defeated, but Neo never felt any victory in this. For the rest of her days, she’ll never see any victory in what the brave men and women of Remnant had to endure.

**Okay, this is the best scene in the story. Emotion, imagery, everything comes together perfectly. This scene alone makes reading the story worth it.**

Ruby looked at Penny’s lifeless face. It was an opened casket funeral, and people had given Penny a lovely makeup job. She looked like she was merely sleeping, and Ruby had hoped that this was all some cruel joke, and Penny would shoot up, a goofy smile on her face as she looked at Ruby with her beautiful green eyes to laugh at her for falling for it.

**Oh, that's really sad. Don't do this to me, please.**

Ruby knew Penny would never be so cruel, to manipulate their love like that. She would take that cruelty in a heartbeat if it meant that Penny was still alive, however.

**Fuck, the author did it to me.**

”I love you.” Ruby touched Penny’s cheek, shivering at how cold it felt. “No amount of makeup is going to change how...how cold you are.”

Ruby turned to the rest of the funeral party, Yang was there, a serious and somber look on her face, eyes filled with sympathy for her sister’s lost love. Neon was next to her,

**Oh yeah, that was a character in this story.**

a comforting arm around her shoulder, the cat faunus was wearing a black dress, contrasting heavily with the bright, color outfits she usually wore. Pyrrha and Weiss were there, too. They held hands, praying quietly for all of the people lost in Vale and Menagerie, for their teammates and others. Penny’s father was the worst, he just glared at Ruby, not even bothering to hide where he placed the blame for the loss of his daughter.

Ruby looked away from all of them, then walked to the back of the seats and sat down.

After a while of eulogies, of talking about all the great things Penny had done for her team and the people of Remnant at large, it was time to lower her into the grave. It was slow, dreadfully slow for Ruby, who could only watch as the box holding the woman she loved slid under the dirt, to be covered by dirt, like everyone else laid to rest.

**Wow, that was on par with the Nora scene. There's no way that this can get any sadder.**

Ruby never left the cemetery, even Penny’s father had left before she had. It was well into the dark of night when Ruby even considered about going home.

**Holy fuck how does this keep getting sadder?**

”But what is home?” Ruby asked herself. “Nothing will feel familiar without Penny...”

**That's, actually really good. Like, that's exceptional writing right there.**

”There is no such thing as a true victory,” Ruby heard a male voice say behind her.

**And, that's even better somehow. Why is the fic suddenly getting really good?**

”Ozpin?” Ruby turned, and was confirmed when she saw the president standing before her.

”When it comes battle, lives will always be lost,” Ozpin continued. “While some are soldiers giving their lives for the greater good, most are civilians who asked for none of this. Even then, there are many soldiers who maybe wished to see their families, who wanted to grow old and live happy lives after retiring. This wasn’t a true war, most last longer than that, but even a war as small as this had its casualties.”

**Wow. Just, wow. A monologue that makes a good point, ties in a theme of the story that I'm just now realizing is there, I can see the original character saying it, and it's well worded on top of it all. This is A+ writing.**

 

"What is victory, truly?” Ruby asked.

**And a question that embodies the topic of the story, and is well worded as well, and fits in the scene!**

”That’s a difficult question to answer, Miss Rose,” Ozpin admitted. “But...if I were to answer...I would say true victory is beating your enemies, and mourning your fallen, without letting your loss over take you.”

Ruby nodded. “Sounds like true victory is pretty hard.”

”Yes, but when is anything in this life?” Ozpin asked.

**I can't say anything now without just descending into repeating "dis gud" over and over again.**

Ruby let out a bitter chuckle. “True...” she looked Ozpin in his eyes, her silver eyes glaring into his. “Is there anything we’ve could’ve done to stop this?”

**That's the question, isn't it? After every tragedy, that's what we ask ourselves. That fact being slipped into here is just perfect.**

Ozpin felt a lump in his throat. He knew there was, he knew if he hadn’t thrown Ciara into the black pool, if he had told more people about Salem, if he had told Ruby about her silver eyes, about how they could kill this threat.

**And a relevant call-back. Goddamm, does this finally have everything?**

”I...these things happen, Miss Rose.” Ozpin adjusted his glasses. “All we can do is...”

Ozpin was interrupted by the sound of a gun click, and he looked to see Ruby aiming her gun straight at his head.

”Don’t lie to me,” Ruby said.

**Wait, what?**

”R-“

Ruby cut him off by shoving her gun in his mouth. “I said don’t lie to me!” She pulled the gun from his mouth. “When I was out, I was visited by two very important friends of yours.”

Opzin widened his eyes.

**No, no, author, don't do this. You had a good ending, you could've just cut it off a while back.**

”That’s right, the Gods...” Ruby began. “They told me, for your failure to stop Salem, that you need to tell the people of Remnant  **everything**. About the Salem, what you did to make her, the things you could’ve done to stop it! They also told me the perfect way to make sure you do this.” Ruby let go of Ozpin, and, still looking him dead in the eyes, placed the barrel of her gun under her chin. “They knee you’ll never be able to live with yourself after this...” she pulled the trigger.

Ozpin was covered in Ruby’s blood as her body fell to the ground. He just stared at her body for the longest time.

”Okay...” Ozpin looked up to the sky. “You win! I’ll...tell...” Ozpin looked to his feet. “I’ll tell them everything...”

With nothing left to do, Ozpin pulled out his scroll and called Ironwood.

**Yeah, no. Why did this need to happen? Why? This is no good. That's all I can say. Explaining all that's wrong here would take more time then I'm willing to invest in this.**

”Oz?” Ironwood answered.

”James...I need to schedule a press conference,” Ozpin said, voice hollow. “I need to tell the people of Remnant why everything that happened...happened.”

”If that’s want you want to do, Oz,” Ironwood said.

”I also need an ambulance at Vale’s cemetery,” Ozpin said.

”What? Why?”

”Don’t argue with me!” Ozpin snapped. “Just call them!”

”Whoa, Oz-“ Ironwood was cut off by Ozpin hanging up.

Defeated, Ozpin slid to the ground. He sat next to Ruby’s body, looking up at Remnant’s shattered moon.

**Yeah, no. Fuck this ending. I recind all my previous praise. The author should've just ended it back with the philosophical ponderings. That was good, that was amazing even. Then it descended into, that shit.**

**Anyway, that was War. Thanks for reading. If you're the author, and you're reading this, keep writing. You have potential. I think you'll write something amazing someday.**

 


End file.
